The DHSP was adopted by the City Council by Resolution NO. 7790 on March 8, 2016.

The DHSP area totals approximately 786 acres or 1.23 square miles. The area boundaries include the I-105 Freeway on the north, Prairie Avenue, Freeman Avenue and its extension through residential neighborhood to the city limits on the south, and Ramona Avenue and Inglewood Avenue on the west. In addition to the major north-south arterial Hawthorne Boulevard, the DHSP area includes the east-west segments of Imperial Highway, 120th Street, El Segundo Boulevard, and Rosecrans Avenue.

The DHSP designates five land use areas (Residential, Commercial, Hospitality, Mixed-Use and Public/Quasi Public) and four opportunity sites known as Transformative Projects. The four Transformative Projects in the DHSP are sites identified for new and catalytic development and investment. The Transformative Projects are intended to embody bold ideas and further support the Specific Plan’s vision and objectives, which include:

1. Provide a clear vision and flexible strategies framework that will help spur the future evolution of Downtown Hawthorne.

2. Ensure an economically vibrant, safe, healthy and sustainable Downtown Hawthorne that supports a range of users, including residents, business owners, workers and visitors.

3. Capitalize on key transformative projects that will be catalysts for future public and private investment and positive change.

4. Identify opportunities to develop and expand plazas, parks and open space areas to support a livable and healthy downtown.